Baccarat is a well-known card game typically played in a gambling establishment, such as a casino. Baccarat attracts casino-goers around the world who want to leverage their skill in a game that also depends largely on chance. Baccarat is popular with players because, among other things, it offers a low house edge. Players enjoy games with a low house edge because the lower the house edge, the more likely a player is to win. This is good for casinos, too, because a player's money may last longer and the player may spend more time in the casino and possibly explore other games with a higher house edge.
Baccarat is a card game typically played with multiple decks of standard 52-card decks. The cards may be shuffled, cut by a player (and such cut then marked with a “Cut” card), and placed in a “shoe” from which cards are dealt during play. As opposed to Poker or Black Jack, where each player is dealt an individual hand, typically only two “community” hands are dealt in Baccarat—a “Banker” hand and a “Player” hand. A “Caller,” usually a casino employee, facilitates the game and deals the Banker and Player hands. The Banker hand and Player hand are played against each other, and each player places one of three principal bets: (1) Player hand wins; (2) Banker hand wins; or (3) Tie hand.
Baccarat is typically played on an oval table in a casino and can be found among other gaming tables or in a “high roller” section of a casino. Usually each seat is numbered, and tables may have room for up to 16 or even 24 players. In front of each seat on the Baccarat table are three spots to place bets: “Player,” “Banker,” or “Tie.” Some Baccarat tables have small circles on the table to help guide players to place bets appropriately.
A Baccarat table typically also has a spot for a commission at each player's location. A commission is a percentage paid by the player to the house on each winning bet made on the Banker hand. In Baccarat, a 5% commission is typically charged. For example, if a player makes a $100 bet on the Banker hand, and the Banker hand wins, the player wins $100 but owes a $5 commission to the house. A dealer may then place $5 in chips in the player's commission spot to keep track of the commission owed.
The rules of conventional Baccarat are known to a person skilled in the art. In the United States, Baccarat is played generally as follows. Each player places a bet on whether (1) Banker hand wins; (2) Player hand wins; or (3) Tie hand. After all bets are made, the Caller deals one card to the Banker hand and one card to the Player hand, until each hand has a total of two cards. The cards may be dealt face up or face down, and are dealt to a Banker position and Player position designated on the Baccarat table. If the cards were dealt face down, the cards are turned over, and the dealer totals the score of the Banker and Player hands by adding the value of the cards in each hand. Scoring in Baccarat is in modulo ten. For example, if a player has a total of 16, his Baccarat point total would be 6. A player with an Ace and a Nine would have a zero score because an Ace is worth 1, and added to 9 is 10, which is zero in modulo ten. Therefore, nine is the highest point total in Baccarat. The hand with the higher point total wins.
A player typically receives even money if the player bets on the winning hand. For example, if a player bets $100 on the Player hand and the Player hand wins, the player will be paid $100. The same is true for a winning bet on the Banker hand, but the player must also pay a commission to the house. In a casino that charges 5% commission, for example, the player would owe $5 in commission based on his $100 winnings. A casino may charge a higher commission rate, but fewer players may choose to participate in a Baccarat game where higher commissions are assessed. No commission is paid on a winning bet on the Player hand—commission is only charged on a winning bet on the Banker hand.
If the score of the Player hand equals the score of the Banker hand, a Tie hand occurs. In a Tie hand, all bets on the Banker hand and the Player hand are “pushes,” and the amount wagered is returned to each player. Winning bets on the Tie hand are typically paid at odds of nine-to-one or eight-to-one, depending on the casino or operator. A player is not charged commission on a winning bet on a Tie hand.
If either the Player or the Banker hand has a total of 8 or 9 on the initial deal, no further cards are drawn. If neither player has an 8 or a 9, a third card may be drawn depending on predetermined rules of the game. If the total of the Player hand is between 0 and 5, a third card is dealt to the Player hand. If the total of the Player hand is 6 or 7, the Player hand stands (i.e., does not draw a third card). Depending on whether the Player hand draws a card, and also depending on the particular card drawn, the Banker hand will automatically draw a third card according to predetermined rules. For example, if the Player hand draws a 2 or 3, the Banker hand draws a third card if the point total is between 0 and 4, and stands if the point total is between 5-7. The chart below shows an example of predetermined rules used in a Baccarat game:
TABLE 1If either the Player or the Banker has a total of 8 or 9 on the initial deal,no further cards are drawn. If neither player has an 8 or a 9, playproceeds as follows:Player HandBanker HandPlayer hand stands if Player handBanker hand stands if Banker handhas a point total of 6-7.has a point total of 6-7.If the Player hand has an initialBanker hand draws if Banker handtotal of 0-5, Player hand draws ahas a point total of 0-5.single card.If the Player hand draws a 4 or 5:Banker hand draws if Banker handtotal is 0-5, and stands if total is 6-7.If the Player hand draws a 6 or 7:Banker hand draws if Banker handtotal is 0-6, and stands if total is 7.If the Player hand draws an 8:Banker hand draws if Banker handtotal is 0-2, and stands if total is 3-7.If the Player hand draws a 2 or 3:Banker hand draws if Banker handtotal is 0-4, and stands if total is 5-7.If the Player hand draws an ace,Banker hand draws if Banker hand9, 10, or face-card:total is 0-3, and stands if total is 4-7.
Because of the predetermined draw rules, the Banker hand has a slightly higher chance of winning than the Player hand. The winning frequency for the Banker hand has been determined to be 45.859% whereas the winning frequency for the Player hand is 44.624%, with a Tie hand occurring 9.517% of the time.
At the end of each hand, winning bets are paid and losing bets are collected by the house. A commission due to the house may be designated in a commission spot at a player's location at the table after each hand. The dealer may place the value of the commission in casino chips by each player, and commission may accrue until the end of the round. A round ends when all the cards—down to the Cut card—are dealt.
The commission may be collected at the end of the round so that the flow of the game is not interrupted. If a player has run out of chips, he may still owe a commission to the house. Casinos may find it difficult to collect commission owed from a player who has already lost all of his casino chips and cannot cover the commission charge.
It may be beneficial to have a new method and device for playing Baccarat where the commission described above is not required. It also may be beneficial to have a new method of playing Baccarat where a player is able to make an additional wager in lieu of paying a commission. It further may be beneficial to have a new method of playing Baccarat that eliminates collecting commissions and increases player participation by allowing players to play in a single currency.